HOW TO SOLDER
by Jon M. Stapleton
Soldering is one of those skills that always seemed intimidating to me. The stakes seem super high; manipulate this very hot piece of metal and connect expensive electronics components to one another. If you screw up, you could either break the components or burn a hole in your arm. In reality, soldering is easy if you take some basic precautions. As in all things, practice makes perfect!
step 1: safetyAbove all else, don't touch the iron tip, ever. Just like how hot glass looks the same as cold glass (thanks, chemistry teacher!) a hot iron looks exactly like a cold iron. The iron burns at 450°F and will make your fingers look and smell like fried chicken. Don't be afraid; like UFC fighters and chainsaws, all the soldering iron demands from you is respect. |
step 2: prep the ironCheck the heat of the iron by touching it to a wet sponge. If it sizzles, try touching some solder. If the solder melts, you're in business. If not, wait 30 seconds or so and try again. The fumes are from flux, a lubricant stored in the core of the solder. Don't sniff it; not because it's dangerous, but because that would be weird. |
step 3: prepare yourself
Before you solder, you need to set the component in question in its spot on the perforated circuit board (perfboard for short). Stick the component lead through one of the holes, with the end of the lead sticking out of the side with the copper or gold pad as shown. Bend the lead to keep the component from falling out, and clamp the circuit board into the set of Helping Hands. |
step 4: solder!First, you need to heat up the pad and component lead. For a little less than a second, touch the end of the iron to the pad and lead as shown. Then, touch the end of the solder to the pad and lead. The solder will melt and flow around the pad. Once the solder has flowed, remove the solder and the iron. If it looks like the connection to the left, great job! The connection should be shiny and uniform around the lead. |
step 5: practice!If your connection looks weird, don't worry about it. Try again! If you fed too much solder, use the solder sucker or the de-soldering braid to remove the excess metal. If the solder didn't flow all the way around, try adding a little more metal to the connection. If the fumes bother you, try exhaling as you melt the solder. |